Shown here in 2010 against the Colts, Darrius Heyward-Bey, formerly of Oakland, is hoping to bring another dimension to Indianapolis' passing attack this season. / Robert Scheer/The Star

Darrius Heyward-Bey signs autographs for fans. The Indianapolis Colts held a practice at Lucas Oil Stadium that was open to the public Wednesday June 12, 2013. / Rob Goebel/The Star

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For four years, Darrius Heyward-Bey played in the Black Hole. That’s the name of Oakland’s most fervent fan section, but it also describes the most dysfunctional, even laughable, organization in the NFL.

The Oakland Black Hole is where careers go to die.

If you don’t believe that, ask Randy Moss, who disappeared in Oakland, only to go to New England, where he helped Tom Brady set all kinds of passing records.

This, then, is Heyward-Bey’s opportunity to justify his selection as the seventh player taken overall in the 2009 draft. This is his chance to show the Indianapolis Colts and the rest of the league he’s more than an all-legs, no-hands guy with blazing straight-line speed and no earthly clue how to be a productive NFL wide receiver.

If he can’t be renewed here with Andrew Luck throwing and Reggie Wayne tutoring and a spot awaiting him on the outside, there’s probably no hope for this guy’s career.

A crossroads?

That’s not how Heyward-Bey looks at it.

But he should.

“I really don’t see it that way,’’ he said. “I’m looking at this as a chance to get to the playoffs and win a Super Bowl with a really good team and a very good quarterback. I’m very team oriented. I want to make plays that help this team win.’’

In a perfect world, Heyward-Bey will step into the wide receiver slot opposite Wayne, with second-year man T.Y. Hilton taking over in the slot.

In a perfect world.

Nobody questions his 4.3-second 40-yard speed. It’s the reason the late Al Davis, who was smitten by fast players throughout his life, surprised the entire NFL by taking the former Maryland player with the seventh pick in the draft.

The question remains his hands, his ability to get separation from defensive backs and make tough plays in traffic. Drops are not what the Colts need, not after 50 drops last season, most of them by Hilton and Donnie Avery. It’s not that Heyward-Bey doesn’t work on his hands. He’s a relentless worker, a good teammate by almost any description, but there’s a reason the Raiders didn’t re-sign him.

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Specifically, his hands.

His rookie year, he had an astonishing 35.7 percent drop rate.

His second year, he had a 21.6 percent drop rate.

His third year — his best year, by far, with 64 catches check — his drop rate was a very good 8.6 percent.

But then last year, he went back up to 12.8 percent.

Anything above a 10 percent drop rate screams “bad hands.’’

“I came in with that stigma, but other than my rookie year, I never led the league in dropped passes,’’ he said. “It’s hard to get rid of a stigma once they put it on you. But I don’t see it as a problem.’’

The Colts are counting on the possibility that Heyward-Bey is simply a late bloomer whose time is yet to come.

He didn’t start playing football until late in his high school career, and spent only three years at the University of Maryland. He was more of a basketball and baseball player and track athlete than he was a football player. But his breakneck speed was so tantalizing, the high school coaches had to see how it might transfer to the football field.

At Maryland, he quickly became known both for his ability to take the top off a defense and his yards-after-catch ability. After all, you can’t teach 4.3.

So why was he something of a bust in Oakland? Let’s just say there was a pretty good reason beyond his control. We did a pop quiz.

“Name all the quarterbacks who threw you the ball during your four years in Oakland,’’ he was asked.

“Who were all of the offensive coordinators you had in your time there?’’ he was asked.

Another smile.

“Gregg Knapp, Al Saunders, Hue Jackson and Greg Olson.’’

Head coaches?

“Tom Cable, Hue Jackson and Doug Allen.’’

Four years, seven quarterbacks, four offensive coordinators and three head coaches.

The Raiders have long been paragons of instability, no more so than in the past few seasons, when Davis changed quarterbacks and coaches the way the Kardashians change boyfriends.

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We’ve seen firsthand what happens when an excellent receiver — let’s call him Reggie Wayne — is stuck with a substandard quarterback. The numbers go down, way down. We then saw Wayne’s numbers go back through the roof when he was paired with Andrew Luck.

That, ultimately, is what the Colts will find out: Was this a Raiders problems or a Heyward-Bey problem?

“This is an opportunity for him,’’ Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. “... He’s big. He’s fast. He can take the top off the back end. He’s got big-play potential. At the time, not knowing what was going on with Donnie (Avery), we needed someone to fill that role and get another guy opposite of Reggie (Wayne) that people had to pay attention to. People just couldn’t sit there and single and lean the coverage over the other way.’’

The mystery remains: Will he rebuild his career here — the Colts are in a low-risk spot, having given him a one-year deal — or does he turn into a very poor man’s Pierre Garcon?